1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trigger-type liquid discharge container usable in both ordinary and inverted postures.
2. Description of Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-69658, for example, there is known a trigger-type liquid discharge container comprising a container body with a neck portion, a discharge body, and a mounting tube, said discharge body including:
a first main member having a suction tube raised from an inside of a rear portion of a base tube; PA1 and a second main member having an outer tube fitted on an outer face of said suction tube, a cylinder protruding forward from a lower portion of the outer tube, an ejection pipe protruding forward from an upper end portion of the outer tube, each said cylinder and ejection pipe communicating with the suction tube respectively, an outwardly flanged wall which is formed on the lower portion of said outer tube and has a rear bottom wall portion of said cylinder as a common wall, a cover tube depending from an outer circumference of the outwardly flanged wall and being fitted on an upper outside of said base tube. PA1 a first main member 2 having a suction tube 4 raised from an inside of a rear portion of a base tube 3; PA1 and a second main member 11 having an outer tube 12 fitted on an outer face of said suction tube, a cylinder 13 protruding forward from a lower portion of the outer tube 12, an ejection pipe 14 protruding forward from an upper end portion of the outer tube 12, each said cylinder and ejection pipe communicating with the suction tube respectively, an outwardly flanged wall 15 which is formed on the lower portion of said outer tube and has a rear bottom wall portion of said cylinder as a common wall, a cover tube 16 depending from an outer circumference of the outwardly flanged wall 15 and being fitted on an upper outside of said base tube 3; PA1 said base tube 3 having an intermediate portion on which an outward flange 3a is provided; PA1 said mounting tube 21 depending turnably from an inward flange 22, which is formed on an upper end of the mounting tube 21 and resting on a rim of the outward flange 3a, and said mounting tube being fastened on an upper face of the neck portion of the container body; characterized: PA1 in that the discharge container further includes a liquid suction tube 121 for the inverted posture having an upper portion which is fitted into said base tubular portion 103 while leaving a space in an upper portion of said base tubular portion, a valved tube 141 which is fitted in an intermediate portion of said liquid suction tube 121, and a suction pipe setting tube 151 which is fitted in a lower inner surface of said liquid suction tube 121; PA1 in that said liquid suction tube 121 includes a depending tube 123, depending from a top plate 122 which shuts off an upper surface of the liquid suction tube, while said valved tube 141 has a first transverse wall 142 through which a first longitudinal tube 144 is penetrating, and said suction pipe setting tube 151 has a second transverse wall 152 through which a second longitudinal tube 154 is penetrating, and that a liquid suction passage for the ordinary posture is provided by fitting a lower end portion of said main tube 106 water-tightly in the depending tube 123, and by communicating the main tube 106 and a suction pipe 156 depending from the second longitudinal tube 154 through the first and second longitudinal tubes 144 and 154; PA1 in that the liquid suction tube 121 for the inverted posture has a tubular part which depends below a lower end of said base tubular portion 103, and has at a front upper end of said tubular part a liquid suction port 127 for the inverted posture, while the first transverse wall 142 of the valved tube 141 has a front portion which is formed into a tapered valve seat 145 in a vicinity of a lower edge of said liquid suction port 127, said tapered valve seat 145 having a small diameter lower portion and receiving a ball valve 161 thereon to form an air suction preventing valve 162 for the ordinary posture, while a valve chamber 131 is formed around an upper side of said ball valve 161, a front face of said valve chamber being formed into a slope 128 which is inclined to an upper rear direction so as to keep a lower end of the slop 128 close to a front upper part of the ball valve 161, and; PA1 in that an opening 148 is formed in a front portion of the first or second longitudinal tube between the first transverse wall 142 of the valved tube and the second transverse wall 152 of the suction pipe setting tube, to provide a communication between a valve hole 146 at a lower end of said valve seat and the liquid suction passage. PA1 in that the discharge container further includes a liquid suction tube 121 for the inverted posture having an upper portion which is fitted into said base tubular portion 103 while leaving a space in an upper portion of said base tubular portion, a valved tube 141 which is fitted in an intermediate portion of said liquid suction tube 121, and a suction pipe setting tube 151 which is fitted in a lower inner surface of said liquid suction tube 121; PA1 in that said liquid suction tube 121, having an upper surface being shut off by a top plate 122, includes a rising tube 125a penetrating through a rear portion of the top plate 122 and having an upper portion which is fitted water-tightly into a lower portion of the main tube 106, while said valved tube 141 has a first transverse wall 142 having a rear portion provided with an aperture from which circumference a first longitudinal tube 144 is standing, an upper part of said first longitudinal tube being fitted on a lower outer face of said rising tube 125a, and said suction pipe setting tube 151 has a second transverse wall 152 having a rear portion through which a second longitudinal tube 154 is penetrating, and that a liquid suction passage for the ordinary posture is provided by communicating the main tube 106 and a suction pipe 156 depending from the second longitudinal tube 154 through the first and second longitudinal tubes 144 and 154 and the rising tube 125a; PA1 in that the liquid suction tube 121 for the inverted posture has a tubular part which depends below a lower end of said base tubular portion 103, and has at a front upper end of said tubular part a liquid suction port 127 for the inverted posture, while the first transverse wall 142 of the valved tube 141 has a front portion which is formed into a tapered valve seat 145 in a vicinity of a lower edge of said liquid suction port 127, said tapered valve seat 145 having a small diameter lower portion and receiving a ball valve 161 thereon to form an air suction preventing valve 162 for the ordinary posture, while a valve chamber 131 is formed around an upper side of said ball valve 161, a front face of said valve chamber being formed into a slope 128 which is inclined to an upper rear direction so as to keep a lower end of the slop 128 close to a front upper part of the ball valve 161, and a longitudinal ridge 149 sloped to an upper rear direction is formed from an inside of a rear portion of the valve seat 145 to a lower front face of the first longitudinal tube 144; PA1 in that an opening 148 is formed in a front portion of the first or second longitudinal tube between the first transverse wall 142 of the valved tube and the second transverse wall 152 of the suction pipe setting tube, to provide a communication between a valve hole 146 at a lower end of said valve seat and the liquid suction passage. PA1 in that a first hole 116a is formed in a front portion of the top wall 105 of the base tubular portion as an exit hole of an ambient air supply passage 116 communicating with an inside of the cylinder, and a portion of the top wall of the base tubular portion under said first hole is raised to form a short tube 126 having a closed upper face; PA1 in that the discharge container further comprises a valve member 175 having a tubular member 172 with an upper end face from which a plurality of elastic helical members 173 are raised equidistantly, while a valve plate 174 being provided at upper ends of the plurality of elastic helical members, so that a lower face of the first hole is shut by fitting said tubular member on an outer face of the short tube 126 and by forcing the valve plate 174 to contact with the first hole; PA1 in that the discharge container also comprises a channel 132 for communicating a space in the upper portion of the base tubular portion and an inside of the container body, said channel is longitudinally formed, spaced circumferentially from said liquid suction port for the inverted posture, either in an upper outer face of the liquid suction tube 121 for the inverted posture or in an inner face of the base tubular portion 103 as opposed to the upper outer face of the liquid suction tube. PA1 in that the liquid inlet port 45 for the inverted posture or the liquid suction port 127 for the inverted posture is positioned in the neck portion of the container body above a lower end of the mounting tube 21 or 102. PA1 in that said container body has a trunk portion, a lower part of which is largely bulged forward at its lower part with respect to a center axis of the truck portion, whereas the suction pipe 7 or 156 is bent towards a lower front direction to bring a lower end of the suction pipe close to a front end of a bottom wall of the container body. PA1 in that the suction pipe, depending from the discharge body usable in both the ordinary and inverted postures, has a substituting ambient air suction port 202 which is formed in a lower portion of the suction pipe in a vicinity of a lower end opening 201 of said suction pipe.
Said base tube has at its intermediate portion an outward flange, and said mounting tube is depending turnably from an inward flange, which is formed on an upper end of the mounting tube and resting on a rim of the outward flange at its upper face, and said fitting tube being fastened on an upper face of the neck portion of the container body. In this liquid discharge container, a trigger is hinged to depend from the front portion of the ejection tube, and a plunger, as fitted in said cylinder while being biased forward, is jointed at its front end to the rear face of the upper portion of said trigger, so that the liquid in the container body can be sucked into the cylinder through the suction valve by the sliding motions of the plunger caused by the triggering actions and so that the liquid in said cylinder can be discharged through the discharge valve from a nozzle fitted in the front end of the ejection pipe.
In the liquid discharge container described above, on the other hand, a three-way branch pipe member having a ball valve is fitted at its main tube in the lower portion of aforementioned suction tube, and a suction pipe depends into the bottom portion of the container body through the first branch tube branched downward from the lower end of said main tube whereas the second branch tube is raised upward from the lower end of the main tube, so that the liquid in the container body may be sucked through the first branch tube and the main tube, when the container is in the ordinary posture, and through the second branch tube and the main tube, when in the inverted posture, into the cylinder.